Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I do want to address the question, but I also think it's important to set the record straight about what has happened in relation to this bill. The truth is that the coalition are a complete broken mess. It is really difficult to work with them in good faith in any way, shape or form because they can't even work in good faith with themselves at the moment. So of course the government worked with the Greens to accept an amendment moved by Senator Hanson-Young to triple penalties in relation to these contraventions. We have always said that there is a further bill with more reform in relation to the full suite of packages that we will be dealing with in the House this week and hopefully in the Senate soon where we will consider even more reform to the penalties regime.

If anyone listened to Holly Rankin's address through the Speaker's Lecture last night, it is clear that this is something that the public wants to see this chamber take action on, not have a debate about who is madder at Optus. Everybody is mad at Optus. It's not a competition about who is madder at Optus. What is important today is that we pass this bill and that we agree to these amendments to triple penalties, as proposed by the Greens. We are doing that because we want to see this bill passed. It is incredibly important that we see this action taken. That's what the public want to see from us today and that is what we are getting on with in spite of the efforts of the coalition to try to claim credit for this. It is really hard to claim credit when you haven't been part of the conversations or participated in any way in making sure that we can take this bill through to completion today.

The telco websites will hold the information. We want the telcos to take responsibility, to be accountable and to do the things that they are required to do by law. That is exactly what the direction from the minister will do. I want to thank senators around the chamber for supporting this legislation today. Let's get on with it. Let's pass this legislation so that we can ensure that triple 0 never fails again.